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Saga Dawa (Buddha’s Birthday) festival is
observed by Tibetan Buddhist as one of the
important festivals in their society. It
therefore occupied an important position in the
Tibetan society held each year on the full moon
day of the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan
calendar. This festival is celebrated in honor
of Sakyamuni's and his enlightenment. Each year,
they replace the Tarboche flagpole, a huge pole
that stands on the Kailash Kora, south of the
mountain. People from all over Tibet gather here
that day to attach their prayer flags they
brought from home, to pray, and to help erect
the flagpole. The flagpole should stand
perfectly upright, or else things are not good
for Tibet. The whole ceremony is led by a Lama
from the nearby monastery.
Day of the Saga Dawa - People circulate the
flagpole that is down on the ground now. They
pray and throw 'Wind horses' (little pieces of
colored paper with Buddhist scriptures on them)
into the air. They help to remove last year's
prayer flags and attach new ones. As a visitor
you are almost forced to follow them as they go
around and around, time after time. Along the
sides, on the slope of the nearby hills, a lot
of people are sitting to watch the 'spectacle'
and there are musicians, which play all the time
on their horns and symbols.
The flagpole is first erected halfway, using
A-structures and ropes. The Lama continually
gives instructions on how to do it, when to stop
and when to go on. Everyone can help pulling the
ropes, that's the 'non-organized' part of it,
but there are always plenty of people doing this
spontaneously. When they cannot go further using
the A-structures, they pause for about half an
hour. The Lama sits on the side, and all the
time people come to sit in front of them, to
talk to him, to give him some gift (mostly some
drink!), to ask him for good fortune. They do
not 'queue' however, as soon as someone is gone,
someone else comes out of the walking crowds -
it all seems not organized, but in fact it's a
very special way of organization! Then it’s come
the final part, the last step that has to result
in the perfect upright position of the flagpole.
A steel cable is attached to two trucks, engines
are warmed up, and then, on the sign of the
Lama, and they go backward, pulling the
flagpole. To be able to control the movement, on
both sides of the flagpole people pull ropes
too, to prevent it doesn't incline to one or the
other direction. Once the trucks start moving,
it all goes very fast, the flagpole is moving,
the A-structures that were supporting it, fall
down, and only seconds later it is all over. And
then big magic occurs, the flagpole stands
upright, and at that very moment, thousands of
wind horses fly into the sky... like an
explosion of prayers going to the heavens. You
can really feel a sudden great sense of
happiness surrounding you. The next moment,
people start incubating the flagpole again, this
time to assure them the job is well done, and
that all is well. We join them in some kind of
almost euphoria. Some hours later the place is
empty again, except for the tents further away
belonging to the people that will spend the
night here, maybe to return the next day, or to
do the Kailash Parikrama.
Saga Dawa Festival tour begins after the arrival
of all participants in Kathmandu, the group will
meet up with the staffs of Nepal Adventure Point
for introduction and briefing about the trip.
The next day is the day for sightseeing in
Kathmandu. You will be taken around for a tour
of Bouddhanath, Pashupatinath, Patan and
Swoyambhunath - the monkey temple. This tour
will help you to understand about the historical
and cultural background of Nepal, Kathmandu
valley and the people of Nepal. The next couple
of days are for checking equipments, final
preparations, packing, Tibet visa and other
necessary document for this trip.
After official procedure, we drive towards
Nepal/Tibet border up to the Friendship Bridge
through Arniko Highway, where you will receive
by our Tibetan guide and after completion of the
immigration formalities then we drive to Nyalam
(3750m) and we continue drive to Pigutso, Saga,
Zhongbo to Lake Manasarovar, tour along the way
to visit important sites together with
magnificent Himalayan views. We will visit the
picturesque Chiu Monastery on the North West
shore of the lake with the imposing sight of
Mount Kailash in the background. We celebrate
the Saga Dawa with the pilgrims and tourists
together and we have couple day’s treks from
Manasarover to Tarbochen, Dira-Puk till Darchen.
Then we re-cross the vast arid plains before
heading south to the Nepalese border and
returning to Kathmandu and the farewell dinner
will be at typical Nepali restaurant enjoying
together with Nepali culture show program. This
is truly the trip of a lifetime with stunning
scenery and cultural highlights.
 Saga
Dawa Festival Tour - 17 Days
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Trip Code |
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NAP-SDF - 511 |
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Trip Cost |
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Will quote depends on group size |
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Group Size |
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Minimum 4 upto 12 person |
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Accessibility |
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Scenic road-head drive to and from Kodari from
Kathmandu through the Arniko Highway. |
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Place Cover |
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Kathmandu – Zhangmu – Paigutso - Manasarovar –
Tarboche – Zutul-Puk - Darchen – Paryang – Saga
- Nyalam - Kathmandu |
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Outlined Itinerary |
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Days |
Particulars |
Altitude/Time |
Highlights |
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01 |
Arrive at Kathmandu airport and transfer
to your hotel |
1317m |
Hotel only |
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02 |
Valley excursion, official procedure and
other arrangements |
1317m |
Hotel on B/B basis |
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03 |
Drive to Kodari (Nepal/Tibet Boarder)
and transfer to Zhangmu |
3750m /8 hrs |
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04 |
Nyalam drive to Paigutso |
4850m/7-8 hrs |
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05 |
Paigutso drive to Zhongba |
4640m/6-7 hrs |
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06 |
Zhongba drive to below Mayun-La |
4540m/7-8 hrs |
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07 |
Paryang to Manasarovar |
4700m/7-8 hrs |
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08 |
Excursion day in Manasarovar |
4560m/7-8 hrs |
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09 |
Drive to Tarboche, celebrate the Saga
Dawa then trek to Dira-Puk |
4750m/5-6 hrs |
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10 |
Trek to Zutul-Puk |
4790m/5-6 hrs |
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11 |
Trek to Hor via Darchen |
4700m/3-4 hrs |
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12 |
Drive to Paryang |
4540m/7-8hrs |
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13 |
Drive to Saga |
4840m/8 hrs |
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14 |
Saga to Nyalam |
3220m/7-8 hrs |
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15 |
Nyalam drive to Kathmandu |
1317m/5-6 hrs |
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16 |
Leisure day for last minute shopping |
1317m |
Hotel on B/B basis |
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17 |
Departure day |
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Breakfast only |
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Cost Includes in Tibet Part
- Accommodation on twin sharing
with breakfast mentioned as per
above the itinerary
- All camping equipment whilst
camping
- Full board (Breakfast, Lunch
and dinner) whilst camping
- Support truck to transport
food, luggage and camping
equipment.
- All airport transfers
- Sightseeing as per itinerary
- English speaking
interpreter/guide (Tibetan)
- Tibet entry permit
- Chinese visa fees |
Cost Excludes in Tibet Part
- International flight,
departure taxes
- Mountain bikes
- Personal expenses such as
drinks, postage, and laundry
- Meals apart from breakfast on
non-camping portion of the trip
- Travel insurance
- Emergency evacuation
- Tips and gratuities
- And unforeseen expenses which
are out of control by Nepal
Adventure Point |
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Cost Includes in Nepal Part
Accommodation: 4 night’s
hotel in Kathmandu on bed
breakfasts basis and one
farewell Dinner in Kathmandu.
Activities: One day
guided sightseeing tour in
Kathmandu
Transportation:
Arrival/Departure transfer and
surface road-head
transportation.
Company & Government’s
service charge: All
applicable Government taxes &
official service charges. |
Cost Excludes in Nepal Part
- Lunch & Dinner while in City
- Bar bills & Beverages
- Optional activities |
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Detail Itinerary:
DAY 01: Arrive in Kathmandu:
Upon arrival at Tribhuwan
international airport, welcomed
by our representative and
transfer to hotel. The remainder
of the afternoon is at leisure.
A pre trip meeting and briefing
will held all together with you
at hotel about the daily program
activities by company
representative and your trip
Leader/Guide where you can
discuss your final questions all
together.
DAY 02: Kathmandu Excursion:
After breakfast the day will
start with a guided tour of
Kathmandu's historical and
spiritual key attractions;
including the historic Kathmndu
Durbar Square, the famous
'Monkey Temple' (Swayambunath)
and then finally visit to Patan
Durbar square which is situated
the heart of the city
constitutes the focus of
visitor's attraction. In the
evening there will pre-trip
discussion where you can meet
your group leader and checking
equipments, final preparations,
packing, Tibet visa and other
necessary document for Saga dawa
festival trip.
DAY 03: Kathmandu dive to
Kodari and continue onto Nyalam:
After official procedure we,
drive towards Nepal/Tibet border
up to the Friendship Bridge
through Arniko Highway. Upon
reaching the border we will
complete the necessary paper
work and continue up the steep
slope to Zhangmu then again
follow the road up to Nyalam.
DAY 04: Drive to Peiku-Tso:
Our final destination today
is the large Peiku-tso Lake. On
the way we cross two hig passes
and encounter much beautiful
scenery.
DAY 05: Drive to Zhongba:
This day is a longer driving
day, but the surrounding Tibetan
scenery makes it all worthwhile.
Or there won’t be as saying that
driving is sightseeing in Tibet.
It is also named as scenic
drive. Throughout the day we
cross the Brahmaputra River on a
ferry, pass through Saga, and
finally end in the small town of
Zhongba.
DAY 06: Drive to below Mayun-La:
During our fourth day we
encounter some of the best
panoramic scnery in our entire
journey. After passing through
Paryang we cross several rivers
before reach our camp. We will
spend the night just below Mayun-La.
DAY 07: Drive to Manasarovar:
This day we finally reach the
holy site of Lake Manasarovar
(4560m). Be prepared for an
awe-inspiring experience!
DAY 08: Excursion around Lake
Manasarovar: This day will
be an easy day driving with our
land cruiser around this
beautiful lake, experience the
magic of this holy site meet
with local pilgrims and visit
the beautiful Chiu Monastery.
Mt. Kailash looks in the
distance. After a short break at
Chiu Gompa we will continue
drive to Base Camp of Mt.
Kailash, Tarchen.
DAY 09: Drive to Tarboche:
Celebrate the Saga Dawa with the
pilgrims and tourists together.
Start Trek to Dira-Puk After
only a 35 km drive we will reach
Tarboche (4750m). Tarboche marks
the start of our religious 53 km
trek around the mountain. we
will trek to Dirapuk today,
through lush green meadows and
babbling mountain streams
compliment our walk through the
Lha Chu Valley. We then trek
through a narrow river canyon.
Enticing waterfalls and steep
cliffs surround us. The north
face of Kailash finally comes
into view as we reach Dira-puk,
a 13th century monastery.
DAY 10: Trek to Zutul-Puk:
After trekking through the
Drolma Chu Valley we climb the
prayer flag laden Drolma La
pass. It is a relief to cruise
downhill towards Zutul-puk
(4790m), with a view of an
alluring mountain lake in the
distance. Thukpe Dzingbu Lake is
known as the Lake of Compassion.
We can also explore several
ancient meditation caves!
DAY 11: Trek to Darchen
(4560m) and to Hor: This is
our final day of the kora and a
delightful day at that. Several
stream and splendid gorges
surround us. Ravishing views of
Mt. Kailash are abundant on our
walk today, meet our jeep and
drive to Hor the east side of
Mansarovar.
DAY 12: Drive to Paryang:
We must leave early today for
our drive back to Paryang
(4750m). However, it is not a
wasted day as some of the best
scenery on our trip is seen in
this section. Relax and enjoy
the unparalleled beauty of this
drive.
DAY 13: Drive to Saga:
This day is another driving day
as we head towards Saga (4600m).
Take in the sights of the small
dusty towns along the way!
DAY 14: Drive to Nyalam:
This day we cross the Yarlung
Tsangpo by ferry once more. You
are given one last chance to
soak in the beauty of Peiku-tso
before arriving back at Nyalam
(3300m).
DAY 15 Drive to Kathmandu:
After Nyalam we descend down
through a mossy gorge and
brilliant cascading waterfalls.
From Zhangmu we cross the Bhote
Kosi River using the Friendship
Bridge. At this point we must
bid a fond farewell to our
Tibetan guide and go through all
the border formalities. Tibet
welcomes you back forever.
DAY 16: Leisure day in
Kathmandu: This full day at
leisure to rest, relax or
explore the local area in
Kathmandu or do a bit of last
minute shopping. You also have
the option of doing some
sight-seeing. Evening will have
farewell meeting & dinner at
Nepali typical restaurant.
DAY 17: Departure day:
After breakfast you will have
some free time until the time to
leave the international airport
for your final departure. |
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